Better by a Different Name: Difference between revisions

{{quote|''I liked [Bleach] better when it was called [[Yu Yu Hakusho (Manga)|Yu Yu Hakusho]], and I liked ''that'' show better when it was called DRAGON BALL Z!''|'''Vegeta''', [[Dragon Ball Abridged (Web Video)|Dragon Ball Abridged]]}}

It is common that some work is heavily "inspired" by a previous work--theywork—they may have different authors and settings, but there are strong similarities of plot, situations and characters. It is also common that the second work is much inferior to the original, because the original is great or the derivative is awful or both. The Better By A Different name snark expresses this idea. The usual phrasing is "[This work] was better when it was called [other, earlier work]."

For [[Better Byby Aa Different Name]] to be effective, the original work needs to be well-known and admired. The trope is also rare when a work is a blatant [[Follow the Leader]] of another. For one thing, the joke is kind of ruined if the predecessor is obvious. For another, not all clone-work is execrable. Causality is also a confounding variable for Better By A Different Name. It may be that both the original and the supposedly "derivative" work were ''actually'' inspired by some [[Older Than They Think|even earlier]] common source.

Often overlaps with [[If I Wanted XIX, I Would Y]].

A [[Sub -Trope]] of [[They Copied It, So It Sucks]], in that this trope is a common way to express that belief.

'''Important:''' To avoid [[Natter]], this is reserved for instances actually noted in a specific work, fiction or non-fiction, regardless of whether these comments [[Fan Dumb|are correct]].

== [[ComicsComic Books]] ==

{{quote| I was stranded on the ''[[Star Trek: Voyager|Voyager]]''<br />

And pounding on the door<br />

When suddenly it dawned on me--<br />

I'd seen this show before!<br />

Perhaps I'm in a warp bubble<br />

And slightly out of phase<br />

Coz it was way back in the sixties<br />

** Which is more than slightly amusing when one considers that [[Lost in Space]] can be described as either ''[[Swiss Family Robinson]]'' [[Recycled in Space|IN SPACE!]] or [[GilligansGilligan's Island]] [[Recycled in Space|IN SPACE!]] depending on how kind one feels on that particular day.

* A magazine gave a breakdown of the [[Summer Blockbuster|Summer Blockbusters]]s of 1997. They discuss how ''[[Hercules (Disney1997 film)||Hercules]]'' did only moderately well compared to other recent works of the [[Disney Animated Canon]], and they surmised people thought it was done better when it was called ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]''.

** He said the same anything with ''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098258/ Say Anything]'' (GREAT!) and ''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098308/ She's Out of Control]'' (HORRIBLE!), both of which opened on the exact same day (April 14th14, 1989).

* A diversion in an [[http://www.sfx.co.uk/2012/02/25/isn<!-- E280%E2%80%99t-it-about-time-you-gave-armageddon-another-chance/ online]] ''SFX'' article, giving the cases for and against ''Film/{{[[Armageddon}}]]''. -->

{{quote| '''Case for the defence''': The science in ''Armageddon'' is no more wacky than it is in something like ''[[Fantastic Voyage (Filmfilm)|Fantastic Voyage]]'' and – let’s face it – considerably more sensible than the science presented in ''[[Source Code (Film)|Source Code]]''.<br />

'''Case for the prosecution''': Hey, I liked ''Source Code''!<br />

'''Case for the defence''': I liked it better 20 years ago when it was called ''[[Quantum Leap (TV)|Quantum Leap]]''.<br />

{{quote| '''Nappa''': I'd rather watch ''[[Naruto]]'', Vegeta.<br />

'''Vegeta''': Oh, please! If I wanted to watch over a hundred episodes of [[Filler]], I'd watch ''[[Inuyasha]]''.<br />

'''Nappa''': What about ''[[Bleach]]'', Vegeta? It's like us, ''[[Recycled in Space|with swords]]''!<br />

* In [http://omohide.com/181/maison-ikkoku-review-what-makes-a-good-anime/ this recent review], ''[[Love Hina]]'' is said to have been better when it was called ''[[Maison Ikkoku]]''.

* A ''[[Zero Punctuation (Web Animation)|Zero Punctuation]]'' review for ''[[Painkiller]]'' says that it's often called the Unofficial ''[[Doom]] 3'' "since the actual ''Doom 3'' tripped over something in the dark, banged its head, and forgot it wasn't ''[[System Shock]]''".

** He also noted that ''[[BioBioShock Shock(series)]]'' was "not ''like [[System Shock]]'', it ''is'' [[System Shock]]''", though he didn't make a quality judgement either way.

* [[Rotten Tomatoes]]' [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/duplex/ consensus] on ''[[Duplex]]'': "It was funnier when it was called ''[[Throw Momma Fromfrom the Train]]''."

* [[The Nostalgia Chick (Web Video)|The Nostalgia Chick]] notes that ''[[Spice World]]'' is a movie with at half the ambition of ''[[A Hard DaysDay's Night]]'', a quarter of the budget and at least two percent of the talent.

* In [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LdCophxHgk Kaiba's Real Father - Conclusion] on ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series (Web Video)|Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series]]''

{{quote| '''Kaiba:''' Was that a [[Dragonball Z Abridged|DragonBall Z]] cameo? Geez, knowing my luck, my father's going to turn out to be Ghost Nappa. That's pretty much how these things usually go.<br />

'''Mokuba:''' Aaaahh, but you gotta admit, Seto, Nappa sure is funny!<br />

* A couple times in ''[[Cracked (Website).com|Cracked]]'':

** "I saw ''[[The Matrix (Film)|The Matrix]]'' back when it was called ''[[Dark City]]''." This is the example given for #4 of [http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-common-movie-arguments-that-are-always-wrong/ 6 Common Movie Arguments That Are Always Wrong].

** Yet it goes on to explain why ''[[Home Alone]]'' and ''[[Die Hard (Film)|Die Hard]]'' are [https://web.archive.org/web/20131122054554/http://www.cracked.com/funny-4445-home-alone/ the same movie].

* The [https://web.archive.org/web/20130706032243/http://www.jabootu.com/sphere.htm Jabootu review] of ''[[Sphere]]'' draws the broad strokes of the film's [[Cliché Storm]]:

{{quote| I was in fact entertained by the first part of ''Sphere'' the first time I saw it (when it was called either ''[[The Abyss]]'' or ''[[Alien]]''), and I was ''quite highly'' entertained by the second half the first time I saw that (when it was called ''[[Forbidden Planet]]'' and starred Walter Pigeon). I have to take it as a given that I would have enjoyed the last five minutes of ''Sphere'' along with everyone else who saw it the first time, when it was called ''[[Prince Of Tides]]'', but I missed that one.}}

[[Category:Better By A Different Name{{PAGENAME}}]]